


Attached

by chickentine



Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-21
Updated: 2014-09-21
Packaged: 2018-02-18 06:23:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2338367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chickentine/pseuds/chickentine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I had to give him back before I became too attached!"<br/>-Meryl Davis on Finn Belbin-White, via tweet, 03 September 2014</p><p>A drabble about Meryl, Charlie, Charlie's dogs, and attachment. Or what went behind that tweet.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Attached

**Author's Note:**

> I posted this story earlier this month on my tumblr and I thought I'd share it to y'all with no tumblrs!
> 
> This is a drabble I thought of while I was on the twizzler chat with footnoterphone, ruslena-fairy, Mika, and Kit. It is based on Meryl’s tweet response to a fan asking if she’s played with Finn yet. I found her answer so sweet. But, as I told the twizzlers, there’s a potential sad Merlie fic there. And here it is.
> 
> I literally drabble-d this, like a sort of unedited word flow so I’m sorry for this set of ~feelings~!

It was Charlie who invited Meryl over to play with Finn. Meryl could barely contain her excitement as she entered the door and DJ came bounding into her arms. 

“Aww, DJ! Where’s the puppy, DJ?” Meryl cooed.

Charlie chuckled as he ambled over, little furry  _adorable_ Finn in his arms. Unwilling to let go of DJ, Meryl gingerly reached for the puppy, trying to balance both in her hands. Charlie smiled, slowly letting go of Finn once Meryl had a secure grip. 

Their fingers brushed gently. Their eyes met.

For one hopeless moment, Meryl wondered if this is what her ideal of a young family looked like – young couple, new house, two dogs meeting her in the hallway, laughter,  _happiness._

She looked away.

Charlie cleared his throat uncomfortably. He gave a snort of nervous laughter.

“Don’t get too attached, okay?”

Meryl smiled back. This was one of their little go-to phrases. With every dog they have met and every dog Meryl went crazy over, Charlie had looked at her and said, with a hint of seriousness, “ _Don’t get too attached, okay?_ ”

“I won’t.”

With her arms full of furry delight, Meryl went outside and sat at the sizable Belbin-White lawn. Charlie had, weeks earlier, agreed to some Meryl-puppy alone time and this was it. She lounged on the freshly manicured lawn, one energetic and friendly dog in each arm, the picture of perfect contentment and bliss.

 

**_Don’t get too attached, okay?_ **

 

There was a reason Meryl had to be invited over. In the past few weeks, Meryl had slowly tried to unravel the ironclad closeness of the last seventeen years. She texted him less, called him less, kept their conversations short and to the point, and even made sure that their class schedules had little similarity, that they would finally,  _finally_ see less of each other, the least they had since they were young children.

But Charlie… he kept on finding his way back.

With phone calls and text messages and frequent invitations  (“ _you’re welcome anytime here, Mer. Don’t forget that”_ ) _,_ he undid every bit of  _letting go_ Meryl attempted to do. He convinced her to help them name the new puppy (“Finn! Because of the Finnstep!” “You  _can’t_ name your dog Finnstep, Charlie!”) and made sure she was there when they picked him out.

He was still very much in her life, whether she wanted it or not.

(But she did. More than anything, she  _did_ )

 

**_Don’t get too attached, okay?_ **

 

But how can she not? Seventeen years. Almost their lifetime. Thousands of training hours. Thousands of hanging-out hours. Countless medals. Countless friendship bracelets and little gifts. Countless  _moments._

How can you  _not_ be attached?

But the damage has been done (“It’s definitely a relationship for life,” they had told everyone), and now Meryl was trying to  _fix_ it.

 

**_Don’t get too attached, okay?_ **

 

DJ did a little running leap over Meryl’s legs.

She giggled. She remembered the countless times she’d been asked about her refusal to get a dog despite her overwhelming love for them. She would hem and haw and giggle the question away and tell them “I don’t  _actually_ know.” But she did.

Dogs were like children to her. Messy, imperfect, adorable, beautiful,  _innocent._ But like real children, she always wanted to raise one – with  _someone._

She heaved a deep sigh. By the look of things, she would have to wait for a long time for that. 

 

**_Don’t get too attached, okay?_ **

 

Finn was just too adorable. He was asleep on her lap now and as Meryl stroked his fur, she leaned back, closed her eyes, and breathed in the summer air.

He was so perfect. He was so  _happy_ and gentle and kind and warm and cozy. He was sunshine on a cloudy day. He was golden – from his curls to his perfect feet. He never failed to make her happy.  _Always._

_Why couldn’t I stay with him forever?_

She knew she wasn’t just talking about Finn.

 

**_Don’t get too attached, okay?_ **

 

Meryl’s eyes flew open, almost simultaneously with Finn’s.

The puppy gazed at her with his big, soulful eyes. These were eyes that loved her,  _trusted_ her, found shelter and joy and warmth in her.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

 

**_Don’t get too attached, okay?_ **

 

She climbed to her feet, walked back to the big, beautiful house, and handed the dogs back to Charlie.

“Leaving so soon?” Charlie sounded a little crestfallen.

Meryl let out a little giggle. “I was getting too attached. Can’t have that happening, can we?” 

Charlie opened his mouth to say something. Meryl smiled.

“I’ll see you at the rink, yes?”

“Yes,” Charlie said a little quietly. “Yes, of course.”

Meryl turned and walked down the paved path.

 

**_Don’t get too attached, okay?_ **

 

* * *

 

Meryl’s hair – newly colored and brightly red now – glinted in the sunlight as she walked down the paved path. Tanith loved that paved path – it was so suburban and cozy and just  _right._  

 _“We’re really starting our family now,_ ” Tanith had said. 

Charlie tried to quell the incomprehensible  _sea_ of anguish in him.

 

**_Don’t get too attached, okay?_ **

****

**Author's Note:**

> My idea here was that her tweet gives you the idea that she goes a lot to the Belbin/White place. So yes, cue angst!


End file.
